Krista Hannesen

Is It Really Hatewatching If You Love It?

“The movie is number 1 on Netflix ‘cause you’re all hatewatching it!” So why do we keep watching cheesy, silly romcoms?

He’s All That starring Addison Rae just dropped a couple of weeks ago on Netflix. Everyone’s talking about it, and everyone has something to say about it. I haven’t seen it yet; I’ve only seen clips on social media. But from everything I’ve heard, people are very… let’s just say opinionated about the film. I’ve heard that it’s lame, I’ve heard that its poorly acted, I’ve heard that its just… bad. But that’s just the thing, many have these opinions because they’re watching the movie.

People are hearing how bad it is, and then going home to watch it on Netflix to get their own opinion on the thing. There are people all over the world, watching the movie and halfway in exclaiming, “this is so… so… cheesy!” but for some reason, like any “cheesy” movie, you always watch it ‘til the end. Then you tell yourself, “Ugh, I’d much rather watch anything else.” but then one day, you’re tired, you’re under the weather, you’re bored. And then all of a sudden, you’re watching He’s All That, The Kissing Booth, or whatever other movie has been deemed cheesy and silly.

While reading the various comments on Rae’s new movie, one comment popped up that hit a chord with me. The person wrote something along the lines of, “The movie is number 1 on Netflix ‘cause you’re all hatewatching it!” So why do we keep watching cheesy, silly romcoms?

Because they’re so bad, they’re good.

These movies are easy to watch. The plot is predictable, and endearing, and after a long day at school or work, you can just relax and enjoy without overthinking it too much. You can just zone out for a few hours and not think about anything, other than whether the characters will kiss, or will they be interrupted? We all know that in the end, yes, they will kiss, and it will be magical.

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It’s also satisfying just knowing the characters will ultimately end up together and have their happily ever after. Sometimes, movies with a sad ending leave you feeling empty after. You know that after watching a romcom, you’ll turn it off feeling happy (and maybe even a bit silly). But the point is, you get to escape for a little while. And we could all use that right now. There is certainly a time and place to learn, to listen, and to understand a topic or issue in depth, and I’m so happy that more and more movies are tackling tough issues. But I believe there is also a time to relax, laugh, and revel in the familiarity of an ooey-gooey, overdone and over-the-top romcom. I often say that I prefer cheesy movies to anything else – I spend all day reading and writing for school and my job, it’s nice to just sit back and enjoy a movie I know will make me smile, if nothing else.

At the end of the day, I don’t think we’re really hatewatching at all. I think there’s something in all of us, no matter how big or small, that lights up whenever some cheesy movie is announced on Netflix. Or when Christmas in July comes around, and they re-release all of the silly Christmas movies from the year before. I think it’s awesome. And I hope we get the chance to see cheesy movies for a long time to come.

What do you think? Do you hatewatch movies? Let me know!